A Walk Through Our Garden

When we moved, we inherited a lovely set of flowering bushes and plants all over our property.  Considering that neither Shaun nor I are master gardeners, it's been an adventure in discovery as things randomly bloom throughout the spring and the summer.

 

The first to bloom in our yard have been the Bleeding Hearts.  I know they have a different name, but I haven't bothered to look it up.  These are probably my favorite.  I love the delicate drop off of the flower.  And if you catch them after it rains, the waxy leaves bead the water into crystal clear drops that fall off in every direction at the slightest touch.

 

We also have a huge lilac bush that our other neighbor claims is blooming for the first time in years.  Apparently, they hacked the crud out of this one and never let it get big enough to bloom.  The flowers aren't much to look at, but they smell absolutely heavenly.  Funny, too.. right before they bloomed, I told Shaun that I wanted a lilac bush for my birthday.  The smell!  Oh, my. YUM.

  

Azaleas have been in every yard I've ever lived in for as long as I can remember.  My grandparents had lovely azaleas in every color and we'd spend lazy spring days charming the blooms into makeshift flower crowns and dancing around the backyard.  Our yard has pink and red so far.  Bean was delighted with the pink tones and I offered to cut her a few sprigs for her room.  Unfortunately, her delight was short lived when she discovered the ants that they need to help them open.  I'm working on her, but she is hugely disgusted with bugs.

 

And of course, every yard has their share of dandelions.  The scourge of a fastidious lawn keeper, these are magic to the three year old.  Every year I wonder if the fascination with the little balls of puff with fade and every year I'm pleasantly surprised with the captivated expression on my girl's face as she dances around the blowing seeds.

For awhile, our yard was carpeted in tiny purple flowers.  I think they're violets, but the neighbors all call them Johnny-Jump-Ups.  To Bean, the yard was decorated just for her.  We couldn't come into the house or head out without her picking at least a few for me.  I can't deny that I was really sad when we finally cut the lawn and they disappeared.  Until next year.  Thankfully, a few rogue flowers popped up in our side beds and I'll be enjoying their rich color for awhile longer. 

 And these aren't in our yard, but tulips are my favorite, so I couldn't resist going across the street to take a few pictures.  The color in the inside of these flowers are astounding.  It's amazing to me that a flower with such a short life can be so filled with finely painted details.  The outside of the leaves remind me of fingerprints.

 

 

They make me happy, every one.